Lines
by Awahili
Summary: After a quiet night out, Rose sets the Doctor a challenge he can't refuse.  Laughter and love ensue.  Ten/Rose Fluff.


Holy cow, this is almost sickeningly sweet. I give you fair warning right now, this is shameless, pointless, plot-less FLUFF. Seriously, you may want to contact your dental health provider just in case. Takes place sometime in Series 2. Other than that...*shrug* did I mention plot-less?

I don't own them. If I did...well, things would be different.

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><p>Rose took a deep breath as she exited the theater at the Doctor's side. After alien planets, narrow escapes, and what seemed like weeks of dirt and grime, Rose had all but demanded a "normal" night out. And so the TARDIS had deposited them in a modest urban sprawl on the eastern coast of the United States, complete with reservations at a local restaurant and two tickets to the newest movie release.<p>

"Wasn't that great?" the Doctor was sporting his goofy "I love you humans" grin as their joined hands swung back and forth between them. Rose - who had spent most of the movie trying not to watch the sickeningly love-struck couples around them - merely shrugged her free shoulder.

"It was a bit unrealistic, don't you think?" She looked around at the people milling about them, lost in their own worlds. "I mean, what are the chances of meeting the exact same guy seven times in seven separate cities? It's a bit far-fetched."

"As opposed to being whisked away by an alien and going on fantastic adventures across time and space?" There was a hint of teasing in his tone, and Rose couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face.

"Well, okay, yeah," she acquiesced. "Bit of a romantic, are you?" She nudged him playfully with her shoulder, and he glanced down at her with a delighted smile.

"Of course!" he agreed. "Always the optimist, me. I like happy endings; hope for them actually. Because that's why we keep pushing on." He steered them onto the sidewalk and they began the trek back to the TARDIS, hands still joined on the crowded thoroughfare. "What about you, Rose Tyler? I'd have had you pegged for a hopeless romantic."

"Used to be," she admitted, "but life on the estate kind of opens your eyes, you know? Mum always said you can't waste your life waiting around for Prince Charming." The Doctor frowned at the sadness in her words, and squeezed her hand in comfort. "Besides," she continued in a lighter tone, "it never happens that way."

"What way?" the teasing tone was back, but she heard his curiosity sneaking through.

"You know," she told him, "all googly eyes and sugary sweet lines that would never work on a girl in a million years." He glanced down at her and recalled some of the horrendous things the male lead had spouted in order to win the girl's heart.

"Some of them were pretty bad, weren't they?" he agreed.

"Some of them?" she shot back. "Trust me, Doctor, if anyone tried those lines on me, I'd laugh in their face, not fall in love."

"Is that a challenge, Miss Tyler?" he was grinning, but there was something dancing behind his eyes that made Rose think twice about her answer. They'd been teetering on the edge of a precipice and, up until now, Rose had thought she'd been the only one who'd felt it. Her curiosity won out in the end, and she decided to see just how far he'd take it. Choosing to remain oblivious for the moment, Rose just rolled her eyes at him and scoffed.

"So now you think you've got some moves?" She recalled a long ago conversation about dancing, and for a moment she was standing back in an abandoned hospital with the same man and a different face. Just as quickly, the vision was gone and his teasing grin was all she could see.

"I'm over 900 years old, you know," he touted, his eyes sparkling with mischief; she hadn't been the only one remembering the Blitz. "I think it's safe to say I've picked up a few things over the years – lines you couldn't even fathom – that'll make you weak in the knees."

"Well then, let's hear them," she said, forcing more bravado into her voice than she felt. "Hit me with your best shot." She wondered just how long she would be able to keep up her front of nonchalance, but she was determined not to let him win. It was probably just a game to him anyway, and she cursed herself silently for trying to read more into his actions than was probably there.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him tap his chin thoughtfully with a long finger. As he thought about his first volley, Rose took a quick look at their surroundings. He had been leading them back to the TARDIS, but she didn't recognize the area at all. The trees in the park across the street were covered in festive lights, basking the entire area in a soft yellow glow. She suppressed a satisfied sigh and let him lead on aimlessly.

"Ah, I've got one!" he bounced a little as they walked, jostling Rose from her thoughts. Turning toward her with the most serious expression he'd ever settled on her, he took a deep breath. Rose felt her own chest hitch at the emotion in his eyes, and she knew she'd lost this game before they'd even begun.

"Is there an airport nearby or is that just my hearts taking off?" Time stood still for a moment as Rose processed his words. Suddenly, without warning, she erupted into peals of laughter and his expression morphed into mock-outrage. "Well, that's gratitude for you. I give you one of my best lines, and you go and laugh in my face. You really know how to wound, Rose Tyler."

She clutched at his arm, trying to get herself under control, but her laughter would not stop. His forced frown soon lifted until he was laughing alongside her, and only when they'd managed to take several deep breaths did Rose feel calm enough to speak.

"That was…" she tried to find the right word, but could only manage the truth, "…awful. Just awful. Did you get that from a gum wrapper or something?"

"Popsicle stick, actually," he answered with a grin. Deciding that he missed her laughter, he searched for another. "There must be something wrong with my eyes. I can't take them off you."

This time her laughter sent her stumbling off balance, and he used the opportunity to tuck her into his side, letting his arm slide over her shoulders in a firm grasp. He chuckled with her, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against him. He didn't know what had possessed him to go along with her silly challenge, but maybe under the guise of jokes and games he could finally tell her what he'd been holding back for so many months now. Keeping his tone light and playful, he launched another one.

"If I could rewrite the alphabet, I'd put U and I together." She shook her head from where she'd relaxed it against his shoulder, and he inhaled the fresh scent of her shampoo. "Of course, that's just ludicrous," he told her after she settled down. "I mean, it wouldn't even work on any planet other than Earth. Well, not _any_ planet; I'm sure there are some out there with a similar language structure. Well, I guess at the very least, by chance, there has to be _one_ –"

"Alright, I get it," she reached her hand over to press lightly into his chest to stop his ramble, hoping to avoid a lecture on alien linguistic structures. She retracted her hand quickly, not entirely sure if his hearts were supposed to be beating quite that fast.

"Oh, I've got another one!" His eyes were alight with glee, and Rose braced herself. "Are you sure you're not an alien? Because you've abducted my heart." Her disgusted groan was audible and she closed her eyes against the horror. He just laughed at her expression and lowered his mouth to her ear.

"If you were a tear, I'd never cry for fear of losing you." Her eyes snapped open, sure that she had just imagined the husky tone in his voice. He had walked them over to the park, and they now stood out in the open night air beneath the softly lit trees. She took a step away from him, but his hand grabbed hers before she could get too far and their eyes locked. Rose felt her throat constricting, suddenly feeling small and inadequate in the magnitude of the moment. He turned her to face him, his expression indecipherable in the dim light.

"Doctor?" Her eyes begged him, pleading for this not to be some horrible, cruel joke. But the intensity in his own gaze froze her to the spot, and she stopped breathing for a moment as he tugged her body to his own.

"You are so beautiful you give the sun a reason to shine." His free hand rose to her face, tracing her cheek with the barest brush of his knuckles. Letting out a sound that was half-way between a laugh and a sob, Rose gripped the lapels of his jacket and tugged his lips down to hers. Using his now free hands to steady her against him he pressed forward eagerly, taking control of the kiss with an urgency he hadn't even realized he'd possessed.

Time became immaterial as they clung to each other in the cool night air. Unable to slake his sudden thirst for her, his arms slid around her waist to pull her completely against him as her hands moved around his neck and into his hair. Their tongues moved in a rhythm, sliding in and out, back and forth as if in a practiced dance. Heat radiated off of her, and he drank in her warmth even as she slowed the kiss out of necessity for oxygen.

With her chest heaving and lips swollen from his attention, the Doctor couldn't imagine a more beautiful sight than his Rose standing there at that moment. His lips moved to her forehead as she gulped for air, and stayed there as they tried to regain some composure. Finally she relaxed against him, her arms slipping underneath his long coat to wrap around his waist. His own arms found their way around her shoulders and he rested his chin on the top of her head as her breathing slowed.

"Does that mean I win?" he asked softly, unable to resist the easy banter that had all but defined their relationship until now. Rose drew away with a horrified expression on her face, and he immediately kissed her tenderly to abate any question about his intentions. She laughed against his lips, and he couldn't help smiling in return. Her head returned to his chest, and he hummed contentedly as her fingers danced idly on his spine.

"Well, I suppose I did ask for it," she admitted, and the sheer relief and joy in her voice made his hearts leap in his chest. He stood there happy to hold her until the end of the forever she'd promised him, but her well-being overrode whatever desires he had. The temperature was dropping rapidly and he could feel her warm skin already cooling.

"We should get back to the TARDIS," he murmured, lifting his head to look down at her. She gave a hum that was part satisfaction and part acquiescence, and pushed away from him. Her hand found his automatically, and he used it to tug her into his side once more as he turned them in the direction of the TARDIS. Neither said anything on the trek back, but the Doctor didn't fear the silence. Instead, he relished in the simple serenity that had settled over them and refused to allow himself to think about the future.

With the TARDIS in sight, Rose felt the excitement from earlier slipping away, leaving a blissful exhaustion that filled her heart. She let out a jaw-splitting yawn, letting the Doctor take some of her weight as he guided her through the door. She let out a rather girlish giggle as she realized he was _actually_ walking her to her room, and at his questioning glance she just shrugged and pushed in closer to his body.

Too soon they were standing in front of her door, and Rose opened her mouth to say something – _anything_ – that would prove it wasn't all a wonderful dream. The Doctor effectively silenced whatever doubts she was having by capturing her in the deepest, most passionate goodnight kiss she'd ever received. When he finally released her she realized he'd backed her against the door, and the heat that radiated between them was almost overwhelming. He nuzzled his nose into her hair as his fingers danced over her forearms, trying to imprint her onto every one of his senses.

"I love you," she blurted, caught up in the intensity of the moment, and he stilled against her. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard she was sure he could feel it through his suit, and she waited for him to say something. His breath ghosted across her skin as he let out a soft chuckle, and his fingers slid down her arms to intertwine with her own.

"Rose," he whispered, letting his lips brush the sensitive patch of skin just above her ear. "I need a plaster." Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, and when she pulled back to look at him he was smiling impishly at her. "I scraped my knee falling for you."

Her head fell forward onto his shoulder as she dissolved into another fit of giggles. He laughed with her, holding her as closely as he possibly could. When their laughter died out he stared down at her, not bothering to resist the urge to lean down and kiss her again. Now that he _could_, he found himself rather unable to stop doing so; though judging from her enthusiastic response he didn't think Rose minded all that much.

"Goodnight, Rose," he whispered, brushing his lips against her cheek in a feather-light caress.

"Goodnight, Doctor," she returned softly, trying to resist the urge to pull him back against her when he stepped away. She watched him walk away for a moment before calling his name down the hall. He turned then, and her breath caught in her throat. There was look of such love, such devotion, in his eyes that she found herself completely speechless.

"Rose?" he moved back over to her quickly, taking her hand to pull her from her thoughts. When she blinked owlishly and tried to focus on him he gave her the most cheeky grin he could manage. "Blimey, I am good, aren't I? Guess you'll think twice before challenging me again, eh?" His teasing seemed to bring her back to her senses, and she swatted his shoulder playfully. Lifting herself to her tiptoes, she laid her lips against his ear and nipped lightly before speaking.

"It's not my fault I fell in love. You're the one who tripped me."

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><p>And there you go. FWP (fluff without plot). Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore David Tennant and Billie Piper's on screen chemistry? No? Review and let me know what you think. I may be encouraged to post more. :)<p> 


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